by Minx Malone
“Come along, Julia. Let’s give the lovebirds some time alone.” Draping an arm over his wife’s shoulders, he silenced her with a kiss before pulling her into the house, the screen door banging shut behind them.
“Sorry about that. Sometimes my parents can get a little carried away.”
“Don’t be. They’re absolutely charming. I can’t wait to talk with your mother later and find out all your dirty secrets. Did you suck your thumb like Jase? Maybe she’ll show me some of your embarrassing childhood photographs.” Ridley couldn’t contain her laughter at the stricken look on Jackson’s face.
“I’m just kidding. I’m sure your mom just wants to make sure I’m worthy of her baby boy’s attention.” She smiled sweetly and kissed Jackson playfully on the cheek.
Before she could pull away, Jackson turned his head and captured her lips in a stirring kiss. Heat climbed from her core and spread outward.
“I don’t think I want your parents to know how wild you make me, so maybe we should finish the tour.”
He groaned and grabbed her hand. They skipped down the stairs leading from the porch to the backyard. He pointed to the left.
“We have several fields but I know that’s the corn. That was just planted. It should be harvested in August. We used to put the husks on our heads and pretend to be scarecrows as kids.”
Ridley laughed. “What about over there?”
He followed her finger. “Those are pastures for the horses and the cows. We only have a few dairy cows. Mom also got a few goats a few years back because she wanted to experiment with making goat cheese. She’s made some pretty good stuff so far.”
They walked further, hand in hand. Ridley tilted her face up to the sun and took a deep breath. It was the perfect day to tour a farm. The fields spread out before them as far as she could see, rolling acres of lush green and golden hay. They stopped near a fence and Jackson climbed up and sat on the edge.
“Are these berries?” Ridley knelt and peered at a bush laden with black fruit.
He chuckled. “Yes, those are blackberries. We can pick some later if you like. They look ripe.” He hopped down and pulled one from the bush, then popped it in his mouth. “Yeah, they’re definitely ripe. Really sweet, too.”
“Did you just eat that? Without washing it first?”
Jackson chucked her under the chin. “I can tell you’re a city girl. Trust me, I’ll be fine. My grandmother used to pull apples off that tree right there and bite them as she worked. She got one with a worm once and just ate around it.”
She laughed and allowed him to drag her toward the edges of the property. Looking back at the house, Ridley felt a tingle of anticipation. At this distance, she and Jackson essentially were alone.
“Where are you taking me?”
“The barn.” His one word answer told her more than what he actually said. He walked faster until they reached the open barn door. The smell of hay hit her first, a warm, sweet smell redolent of earth and nature.
As soon as they were out of sight of the house, Jackson lifted her until she melded against his body, chest to chest, with her legs wrapped around his body. He nestled into the hot space between her thighs. Pressing harder, he was rewarded by a tiny whimper in the back of her throat.
Trailing a line of kisses down the delicate column of her neck, he sucked at the base.
“I thought you were showing me around?”
“I am. This is the barn. Say hello to the horses. Tour over.” He toyed with the edge of her earlobe with the tip of his tongue.
“Jackson! Ridley!“
They pulled apart reluctantly at the sound of his mother’s voice in the distance.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been busted making out with a girl in the barn. Feels like old times.”
“Oh, is that right?” She pinched him and he laughed, grabbing her hands before she could do any more damage.
“Yeah, you saw what a lady-killer I was back in high school. With my mullet.”
They tried to stifle their laughter as they straightened their clothes, but it was nearly impossible. After they looked somewhat decent, they joined hands and snuck back to the party.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THE NIGHT SEEMED to drag on. Jackson was desperately trying to keep his mind on the conversation, but he just wasn’t interested in hearing about his brother’s latest business deal. He was probably being rude but at the moment he could care less.
His mother had grabbed Ridley after dinner and offered to show her some of the crops they’d just planted. They’d come back a little while ago carrying small baskets of blackberries. Ridley had been smiling from ear to ear.
Now most of the family had migrated out to the large back deck and his dad had brought out a small stereo. His cousin, Laura and her husband were twirling around, dancing like they were the only two people in the world. Chris and Jase ran back and forth across the lawn with Laura’s two girls, chasing fireflies.
It would be as perfect a summer night as any if Ridley wasn’t all the way on the other side of the lawn deep in conversation with his parents.
It was taking all of his willpower not to storm over and drag her back out to the barn. Now that it was almost dark he was about willing to take his chances with getting caught.
“Why don’t you just put us all out of our misery and go over there?” Nick grumbled.
“Am I that transparent?” Jackson couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he realized just how obvious his thoughts had been. Everyone had probably noticed him ogling Ridley all night. Not that he cared. If he had his way, his family would be seeing a lot more of her.
He grinned and clapped Nick on the shoulder before setting off across the yard. He could only hope his parents hadn’t told her anything embarrassing. Knowing his mother, she had probably already offered to show Ridley the family photo albums.
As he approached, he smiled to himself watching his mom and dad interact. Even after thirty years of marriage, they still held hands and could finish each other’s sentences. His father hugged his mother to his side with a possessive arm around her waist. Jackson looked at Ridley and his chest tightened. He could definitely see himself chasing after her like an old dog for the next fifty years or so. The biggest surprise of the night?
It wasn’t as scary of a thought as he’d expected.
“I just wanted to see if I could steal this beautiful lady away for a dance.”
Jackson surprised himself by leaning down and dropping a kiss on her cheek. His mother’s eyebrows shot up under her bangs. Considering how his mother was beaming at them, he was sure she definitely wouldn’t mind.
“Well, we’ve kept these two kids apart long enough. Now I want to dance with my beautiful wife. Come along, Julia. Laura and her husband have been putting us to shame. Let’s show these kids how we two-stepped back in our day.” He nodded at Jackson and whisked his wife off with a flourish.
“Alone at last.” Jackson held his arms open and allowed Ridley to settle herself against his length before gently swaying to the music. He could barely keep up with the rhythm, he was so distracted by the feeling of Ridley’s heart beating against his. “I’m so ready to go.”
“Jackson! We can’t just run off. How will that look?” Her eyes danced as she gazed up at him.
“It’ll look like I’m happy to have a kid-free week and want to celebrate. You’re not leaving my bed this time.”
Her chest shook with silent laughter. “We can’t let your parents see us running out. They’ll know exactly what we’re rushing home to do!”
“Okay, knock it off you two. Get a room.” Eli appeared at their left and Jackson scowled at him.
“Everyone in this family has bad timing. Go away.”
“I just need to show your lady something. One of the guys I have looking into things just called me. I found out a little more about what David was up to.” Elliott pulled out his cell phone and tapped the screen a few times before holding it out to
Ridley. “Do these accounts look familiar?”
Her brow crinkled as she read the screen. “No, what are these numbers?”
“They’re bank accounts. All in your name,” Elliott replied.
Ridley looked up at Jackson, clearly alarmed. “What? But those aren’t mine! I only have one bank account.”
Jackson froze. He hadn’t told her what Nick had shown him, hadn’t wanted to give any credence to such ugly accusations. He hoped Eli wasn’t going down the same path Nick was.
“I figured that, but just wanted to verify it. I’m pretty sure David or someone he was working with was using your identity to wire money to offshore accounts. Ridley is a unisex name so it wouldn’t have appeared odd for him to use it.”
Jackson exhaled. “So he was using her identity. It makes sense. No one would have looked twice since she has such a clean credit history. ”
“I used to, anyway.” Ridley rubbed her eyes wearily. Jackson pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.
“Since your name was on everything, it made it harder for anyone to trace things back to him,” Eli continued. “It was the perfect system and if he got caught, he probably would have pretended he had no idea and blamed it all on you.”
“That’s comforting.”
Jackson pulled her closer. “It’ll be over, soon.”
Ridley snorted. “It won’t be over until I untangle the mess he made. If he’s opened accounts in my name, then I’ll have to notify the credit bureaus but who knows how long it will take before it's all cleared up. What if I end up bankrupt from this?”
"Nick is the financial expert, but I'm sure he'll be happy to help. He knows what paperwork to file so you aren't held responsible for all that stuff." Jackson tipped her chin up until she met his eyes. “You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions.”
“We will figure this out,” Eli said. “It’s possible the break-in at your place was unrelated but until I figure out exactly who he defrauded and whether any of them were angry enough to retaliate, you’re better off keeping a low profile.”
“I hope you figure it out. Despite everything David did, I don’t think he deserved to die like that,” Ridley said.
“Of course. This is why I love my job. I get to right wrongs and help people who need it.”
“It sounds really exciting. I’m sure it has downsides, though. I can’t imagine putting myself in harm’s way for someone else. I would just freeze up. I don’t think I’d be able to do it.”
“You never know. Sometimes people respond the opposite of what you’d think. I had this one client, real tough biker guy. He hired us to protect his shop when there were a rash of burglaries in the area. We’d been watching the place for weeks. Nothing. Then suddenly, his shop was hit and somehow the guys got the drop on us. The client ended up with a gun to his head. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end but it wasn’t looking good.”
“What happened? Did he fight?” Ridley asked.
“He passed out. Big, tough guy went down like a rock.” They all laughed. “It was actually the best thing that could have happened though,” Eli continued. “He gave me a shot and I took it.”
Ridley exhaled and then pressed her hand against her chest. “So, you saved him?”
“Yeah, he was fine. Woke up and had no idea what had happened. Sometimes the smallest things, the quickest moments, can be the difference between life and death. Things happen for a reason I guess.”
“They definitely happen for a reason.” Jackson clapped Eli on the shoulder. “Thanks for your help. I guess we’d better get home. It’s getting late.”
Eli smirked. “Mom mentioned that she’s keeping the kids for a few days. I’m sure you really want to get home.”
Ridley covered her face with her hands.
“So, how many times did Mom mention weddings tonight?”
Jackson laughed. His mother had definitely dropped more than a few hints but surprisingly it hadn’t bothered him in the slightest. “Only a few hundred. Less than I expected.”
Elliot’s laughter followed them as they crossed the yard to say goodbye to his parents.
* * * * *
“I LIKE HER.”
Nick turned at the sound of his older brother’s voice. He’d been watching Jackson and Ridley from across the yard for the last hour with a burning sensation in his chest that he recognized as envy. He’d deliberately arrived a little late to dinner just so he could limit the amount of time he was required to be social.
He’d thought briefly about not coming but he’d skipped so many Sunday dinners lately that he knew his mother would start getting worried. Momma Julia on a tear was no small matter. The last time she’d been worried about him she’d shown up at his condo early on a Saturday morning and banged on the door until he let her in.
The Brazilian model he’d been entertaining at the time hadn’t been amused when he’d forced her to stay hidden in the bedroom for an hour while he convinced his mother he was fine. He could still hear the blistering string of Portuguese she’d let fly with the same fury as the vase she’d thrown at his head.
“I don’t know why you don’t like her,” Elliott continued.
Nick sighed. It seemed his brother wasn’t going to give up easily. “I never said I didn’t like her. She seems nice enough. I’m just worried about Jackson. He’s got her on this pedestal. He has no idea what women like that are capable of.”
“And you do?” Elliott moved to stand next to him. His eyes were on the dancing couple as well. Jackson was holding Ridley close and whispering in her ear.
“I think they look good together,” Eli commented.
Someone get me a barf bag, Nick thought, irritably.
“There’s no proof she’s done anything wrong and I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt just because of the way she looks at Jackson.” Elliott smiled at him. He was enjoying tormenting him, the little shit.
“I wish I could be as happy about this as you are. But I know a little bit too well how devious beautiful women can be. Especially since her sister—”
“Ah, now we get to the root of the matter. Jackson told me that Raina went with you to the Lupus Foundation dinner a few months ago. He never told me that you were this hung up on her.”
“I’m not hung up. I’m merely aware of what she’s really like,” Nick snarled. “It’s none of your business.”
Elliott shrugged. “Okay, but don’t let that influence the way you respond to her sister. Ridley seems really nice and has never had so much as a parking ticket before all this.”
“I know. I just hope she’s nothing like her sister or he’s setting himself up for a world of hurt. Either way I’ve washed my hands of it. It’s just hard to watch your little brother walk toward a pit that you saw coming a mile away.”
“I know. But all we can do is let him fall. Then catch him if it’s necessary.” Elliott thumped him on the back and then walked away, turning sideways to edge through the crowd.
Nick watched as his mother pulled Ridley into a crushing embrace. His entire family seemed to like her and Jackson hadn’t been this happy in years. He turned to go. He didn’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone. They would have just wanted to drag him into conversations that he couldn’t care less about.
He could admit that he was wrong about Ridley but it didn’t mean he was ready to make nice with her. Looking at her reminded him of all the things he couldn’t have. Comfort. Companionship.
Raina.
He was glad his brother had finally found someone after years of being alone. He deserved some peace after everything he’d been through.
But it didn’t mean Nick wanted to hang around to watch.
* * * * *
RIDLEY CURLED UP on the couch and listened to Jackson’s footsteps leading to the back door. He’d gone to make sure the house was locked up so they could go upstairs for the night.
So much of their time together had been fraught with tension between lying a
bout who she was and worrying about whoever was behind David’s death. Tonight had been one of the first times that she’d been able to just be a girl out with a guy she was crazy about.
They’d stopped at an ice cream parlor on the way home and had eaten their cones sitting in the brightly lit interior of the shop. It had been the most romantic, completely normal thing they’d done together.
It didn’t mean that she hadn’t noticed how he’d tensed up when his brother mentioned their mother’s matchmaking.
She’d been pleasantly surprised at how friendly and welcoming Jackson’s family was and hoped she’d made a good impression. A permanent relationship with Jackson was unlikely but she still wanted them to like her.
That’s because you’re still hoping for a miracle. This is how you always get hurt.
The sound of the door opening alerted her to Jackson’s presence but she didn’t turn around. She closed her eyes and hoped he would think she was asleep and wouldn’t try to engage her in conversation because, lord help her, she might just bawl her eyes out if he touched her at that moment.
The soft sweep of his lips over her brow had her eyes flying open. He lifted her gently out of the chair and held her close. Ridley couldn’t resist wrapping an arm around his neck and resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. Words seemed inadequate at the moment and she had no desire to break the mood by questioning him. When she opened her eyes, they were in Jackson’s room. He lowered her onto the king-sized bed and then settled himself gently next to her. He seemed at a loss for words as he looked around the immaculate room.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
She looked at him in surprise. “What?”
He got down on the floor so he was kneeling before her. She covered her mouth with her hand. He couldn’t be proposing. They’d only known each other for a little more than a week.
“Jackson, what are you doing? Get up.”
He grabbed her hand. “No, I need to say this. You can have a good life here. We’re good together. And it doesn’t have to end. Stay with me.”
